foster



STOCKING Filed April 21, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR: WALTER-l FOsTE-R.

BY 32m, M, QM W (9 \WJ ATTORNEYS March 14, 1961 w. J. FOSTER 2,974,507

4 4b 45 44 NJ scr INVENTORI f1 9-- 4 WALTER J. 5TER.

ATTORNEYS nited States Hosiery Mills, Inc., Lenoir, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Filed Apr. 21, 1958, Ser. No. 729,915

6 Claims. (Cl. 66-182) This invention relates to stockings and it is an object of this invention to provide a novel seamless stocking and method of making the same on circular knitting machines in which a sole reinforcement, commonly known as a cradle sole has combined therewith a reinforcement for the toe which is limited to the walking surface of the toe and which shall hereinafter be termed as a cradle toe.

As is well known, the sole and, frequently, the heel and the entire toe pocket of stockings knitted from synthetic yarn or yarns, such as nylon, are reinforced with other yarn, such as cotton yarn, of such character as to absorb or dissipate the moisture as the foot of the wearer perspires in the shoe, in order to avoid the clammy feeling of nylon in the summer and to avoid the cold feeling of nylon in the Winter. In order to enhance the appearance of open-toe shoes, such as pumps, sandals and the like, it is desirable that the toes of stockings worn with open-toe shoes be devoid of reinforcement or that a fine denier synthetic yarn be used for such reinforcement. The knitting of a stocking so as to provide the same with a reinforced sole and reinforcement in the bottom of the toe only, which is knit from the same yarn as the reinforcement in the sole, has not posed a particular problem in the knitting of full-fashioned stockings, due to the flexibility in the operation of yarn carriers on full-fashioned knitting machines;

However, in the knitting of seamless hosiery, it is not only desirable that the top half or portion of the toe of a cradle sole stocking be knit solely from the body yarn, or solely from a relatively heavy synthetic yarn, or is reinforced with a fine denier synthetic or nylon yarn, it is also desirable that the looper line or suture, formed in the closing of the toe of a seamless stocking, appear only beneath the toe so that it is invisible from the side or from the top when the stocking is in use; that is, when the foot is in standing position. To my knowledge, it has been impossible to knit a seamless stocking with reinforcement in the sole and only in the lower or under portion of the toe due to limitations existent in all seamless hosiery knitting machines.

In other words, it has been impossible to advance from the rotary knitting of the sole and instep of a stocking to the reciprocatory knitting of the toe of a stocking, in which the looper line is to appear beneath the toe, while selecting needles to which the reinforcing yarn would be fed, due to the fact that the segment -of short butt needles employed in knitting the heel pocket (along with any other short butt needles in that half of the needle circle) must be raised out of action when knitting of the toe commences. This means that certain needle raising cams must occupy fully active position, during knitting of ring toe courses, so as to engage butts of short butt needles, without materially affecting long butt needles, to, thus, divide the short butt and long butt needles even while the short butt needles are properly cleared and selected to take and knit cotton and nylon yarns, and the long butt needles take and knit nylon yarn only.

Since the main pattern drum controls the needle cams and movements of the main drum, to efiect the proper positioning of needle dividing cams, occur during rotary knitting, and the needle cylinder must rotate at least four revolutions between successive advancing steps in movement by the main drum, this has required that there be either four ring courses knit solely from the body yarn entirely around the stocking at the terminus of the cradle sole and instep portion or that such four ring courses include reinforcing yarn knit with the body yarn entirely around the stocking at the terminus of the cradle sole and the instep resulting, in either instance, in an inferior or non-useable product, or requiring that both the top and bottom of the toe be knit from the same yarn.

It is therefore another object of this invention to provide a novel method of knitting in which the needles are so divided and rendered active in the final rotary courses at the knitting of the terminus of the cradle sole and instep portions of the stocking as to obviate the necessity of forming the objectionable ring courses heretofore described and while facilitating the successive reciproca tory knitting of the upper and lower portions of the toe whereby the looper line or circularly knit loopers rounds appear beneath the toe.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a side elevation of a partially folded seamless stocking embodying the novel reinforcement in the sole and the lower portion of the toe thereof;

Figure 2 is a somewhat diagrammatic view of the foot of the stocking shown in Figure 1 prior to looping the toe and in which the diameter of the foot is exaggerated relative to the length thereof for purposes of clarity;

Figure 3 is a partial elevation of a circular knitting machine showing a novel cam and the means for operating the same under control of the main pattern drum;

, Figure 4 is a fragmentary isometric View looking outwardly from the needle cylinder and illustrating the improved needle clearing ca-m involved in the present method;

Figure 5 is a schematic plan view of the needle cylinder showing the conventional arrangement of the needle butts;

Figure 6 is a diagram development of the needle and jack cams looking at the surfaces thereof nearest the needle cylinder and illustrating a corresponding needle, needle jack and selector jack in association therewith.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, a stocking embodying a novel reinforcement in the sole and toe thereof is shown in partially folded condition in Figure 1, wherein the toe is closed. The stocking of Figure 1 is shown in the form of a ladys hose knit from one or more monofilament or multifilament synthetic body yarns which shall, hereinafter, be termed as a nylon yarn. However, it is to be understood that the body of the stocking may be knit from other types of fine or lightweight yarn and the principles of the present invention may be readily applied in the knitting of other types of seamless stockings, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In Figure l, the stocking includes the usual turned welt 10 which is generally knit of a relatively heavy denier nylon yarn. The stocking also has a leg 11, a heel or heel pocket 12, a sole or foot 13, an instep 14 and a toe broadly designated at 15. The leg 11, heel l2, sole 13, instep 14 and toe 15 are also knit from a relatively lightweight of fine denier nylon yarn, with a second or reinforcing yarn, preferably of cotton or other absorbent material, being knit with the nylon body yarn in the heel '12 and the sole 13, to form a cradle sole, and in the lower portion 1 6 of the toe 15. This lower portion 16 may be termed as a cradle toe for purposes of brevity.

The upper half or portion of the toe 15 is indicated at 17 and may be a so-called nude toe or, as shown in Figure 1, it may be formed from a third yarn, such as nylon yarn somewhat heavier than the body yarn or from a relatively light reinforcing yarn, such as nylon, knit with the nylon backing yarn. By way of example, the body yarn may be a IS-denier nylon yarn, the cotton yarn may be a I'OO-count yarn and the upper toe yarn may be 40-denier nylon. After the stocking is removed from the circular knitting machine, the lower portion 16 of the toe 15 is secured to the cradle sole 13 at a looper line or suture 20.

As heretofore stated, the novelty of the stocking produced according to the present invention resides in the combination of the cradle sole 13 with the cradle toe 16 and suture 20 beneath the toe, wherein the upper portion 17 of the toe 16 is either entirely devoid of reinforcement or is knit from one or more relatively lightweight or fine denier nylon yarns independently of or with the body yarn. Prior to my method, quality hosiery embodying the latter features could not be knit on seamless hosiery knitting machines due to the fact that inadequacy of needle selection has necessitated formation of a narrow band of reinforcing yarn, the same as that used in the cradle sole 13, which would extend entirely around the stocking adjacent the looper line and adjacent the point at which the upper half of the toe pocket was made, or it has been necessary to provide a bare or unreinforced band in the ring toe courses at the juncture of the cradle sole with the suture formed beneath the toe or at its juncture with the lower half or portion, such as portion 16, of the toe. In other words, the entire ring toe courses were necessarily knit of the same yarn as that used in knitting the top of the toe.

In order that the method of knitting the cradle sole 13 and cradle toe 16, with the suture line 20 beneath the toe, may be clearly understood, pertinent elements of a knitting machine are shown in Figures 3 through 6. Although the problem overcome by the present method is inherent in all seamless hosiery knitting machines, the portions of the machine illustrated in Figures 3 through 6 are portions of a machine known as a Bentley Model KL circular knitting machine, which machine is quite similar to a Scott & Williams Model KN or Model HH spiral knitting machine, to the extent that the conventional needle earns, the yarn feed, the needles and the jacks are substantially the same in machines of this character. In general, the machine may be of a type such as is shown in a patent to A. E. Page, No. 1,933,681, and a patent to T. W. Marshal et al., No. 2,040,946.

In Figure 3, the numeral 30 broadly designates the frame of the knitting machine, which supports lower and upper platforms or bed plates 31, 32 through which a conventional needle cylinder 33 extends. The needle cylinder 33 is driven to rotate and reciprocate, and is shogged for the purpose of knitting the toe 15 of the stocking shown in Figures 1 and 2 by conventional mechanism mounted in a lower portion 34 of the frame 30. The latter mechanism is not shown in the present drawings, but may be of substantially the type disclosed in US. Patent No. 1,853,819, issued to A. E. Page.

The mechanism in the lower portion 34 of frame 30 also drives a conventional main pattern drum 35. The needle cylinder 33 is a type having the usual vertically movable independent latch needles generally designated at N (Figures 5 and 6) mounted therein, beneath each of which a needle jack N] and selector or pattern jack SI are positioned. The selector jacks S] are selected by the usual selector fingers to effect selection of respective needles N, it being well known that the butts on the lower ends of selector jacks SJ engage and are elevated by a jack cam 41 carried by the lower bed plate 31.

The upper bed plate 32 carries a circular series of stationary needle cams 42-47 which encircle the needle cylinder 33. The proximal lower portions of earns 42, 43 form an opening 52 therein for receiving the butts of any needle jacks elevated by respective selector jacks SJ The proximal portions of the cams 43, 44, 45 and 46 also form an opening within and above which the usual stitch cams or knitting cams are arranged, there being a top center cam 53, a bottom center cam 54 and left-hand and right-hand stitch cams 55 and 56. Narrowing picks 60, 61 cooperate with the respective earns 55 and 56 during narrowing operations in the knitting of the heel and toe of a stocking, as is well known.

The machine also includes a stationary leveling cam 65 beneath which a conventional widening pick 66 is disposed. Other conventional movable cams include a needle lowering switch cam 67, a needle raising switch cam 68, a transfer draw-down cam 69, a gusset drawdown cam 70, a gusset raising cam 71 and a needle clearing cam 72.

A novel auxiliary clearing cam 73 is positioned adjacent and in advance of thetransfer draw-down cam 69 and is adapted to be moved inwardly and outwardly to and from operative position by the main drum 35 (Figure 3). The cam 73 is peculiar to the present invention and is the primary element of the invention which functions to overcome the formation of the aforesaid defective ring courses at the juncture of the foot and toe pocket.

As will be more fully described hereinafter, the new cam 73 serves to raise only long butt needles which are previously divided with respect to the short butt needles by the gusset draw-down cam 70 and the conventional clearing cam 72. The new cam 73 raises the long butt needles while the right-hand stitch cam 56 is withdrawn and causes the same to shed stitches previously formed thereon and to take the nylon yarn only at a yarn feed station indicated at 75 in Figure 6. The yarn feed station 75 includes a plurality of yarn feed fingers, the number of which may vary, but there usually being seven such yarn feed fingers, indicated at A, B, C, D, E and F, on a 400- needle seamless hosiery knitting machine of the character described. The feed ends of certain of the yarn feed fingers occupy different levels, and the operation of only those feed fingers which. are involved in the present method of knitting will be described.

In Figure 5, a typical butt arrangement for a 400-needle circular knitting machine is shown, in which half of the needles include .240 and .300 needles while the other half of the needles includes groups of .338 and .390 needles, these figures indicating the usual lengths of the butts in inches. Since the toe pocket 15 is knit with the .338 and .390 needles While the remaining .240 and .300 needles occupy a raised inoperative position, the .338 and .390 needles in the upper portion of Figure 5 will be generally termed as long butt needles and the remaining needles will be generally termed as short butt needles for purposes of brevity in the description and claims. Actually, however, the .240 needles are short butt needles, the .300 needles are medium-short butt needles, the .338 needles are medium-long butt needles and the .390 needles are long butt needles.

There are various ways in which the new cam 73 may be mounted and controlled, a preferred arrangement thereof being shown in Figures 3 and 4. It will be noted that the new cam 73 is an inclined cam and has a stem projecting substantially radially outwardly therefrom (Figure 4) which is guided for radial sliding movement in a guide block 81 fixed to the bed plate 32. The exposed inner portion of the stem 80 has one end of a tension spring 83 connected thereto whose outer end is connected to the cover of the guide block 81. The tension spring 83 urges the cam 73 outwardly so its stem engages one end of a lever or hell crank 84.

The lever 84 is pivoted, as at 85, on the upper end of a post 86 suitably secured to the bed plate 32. One end of a link 87 is pivotally connected to the bell crank 84 and extends outwardly to a bell crank 90 (Figure 3) pivotally mounted, at -91, upon a post 92 carried by the frame 30. The lower arm of bell crank 90 has the upper end of a link 93 adjustably and pivotally connected thereto. The lower end of link 93 is connected to a rearwardly extending portion or arm 94 of a follower arm 95. The lower end of follower arm 95 is pivotally mounted, as at 96, on the lower portion of the frame 30, on a level below that of the main drum 35. The main drum 35 is, of course, provided with many different cams there-on for controlling the needle cams and other instrumentalities of the machine, such cams being omitted from the main drum 35 in this instance. However, it will be noted that the drum 35 is provided with a special cam 97 which is adapted to engage the reading end of the follower arm 95 during the knitting of the ring toe courses only to move the new needle clearing cam 73 into operative position as shown in Figure 4. In other words, the new cam 73 occupies operative position only during the knitting of the ring toe courses and while the right-hand stitch cam '56 occupies inoperative position.

METHOD OF OPERATION The leg During rotary knitting of the leg of the stocking, such as that shown in Figure 1, the left-hand stitch cam 55 occupies inward or active position and the right-hand stitch cam 56 is withdrawn. Other movable cams are also withdrawn, including the new cam 73. Yarn feed finger C also occupies lowered or active position to feed a body yarn b to needles. All needles are elevated in the knitting of the leg by the selector jacks SJ engaging the jack advancing cam 41. This raises the needles to a sufficient height to shed stitches previously formed thereon and to take the nylon body yarn from the yarn feed finger C, which then occupies fully lowered or operative position. The stitches are then drawn in the usual manner.

In the knitting of the final circular course in the leg of the stocking, the needle raising switch cam 63 moves into sutficiently close relationship to the needle cylinder 33 to raise the .300, .338 and .390 needles out of action so they pass above the top center cam 53. In so doing, the .240 needles in the lower segment of Figure 5 remain in lowered or active position. At substantially the same time that the needle raising switch cam 68 is moved into the latter operative position, yarn feed finger E is lowered to active position to feed a cotton or other absorbent heel reinforcing yarn h to needles N. Also, the right-hand stitch cam 56 is moved into fully operative position, whereupon the machine goes into reciprocatory knitting.

As is well known, the narrowing picks then function with each movement of the needle cylinder in each direction for successively raising .240 needles to inactive position, while retaining the loops thereon, until a predetermined number of the short .240 needles remain active, which number may vary according to the length of the gore 100 desired in the heel pocket (Figures 1 and 2). The widening pick 66 is then rendered operative for lowering two needles with each movement of the cylinder .in each direction, one needle being lifted up by the respective narrowing pick 60, 61 with each revolution of needle cylinder 33 so as to finish the knitting of the toe pocket 12. Of course, as is apparent upon referring to Figures 1 and 2, movement of the yarn feed finger E into fully lowered position causes the .240 needles which knit the heel 12 to also knit with the cotton or other absorbent reinforcing yarn h.

As is usual, the final reciprocatory course in the heel 12 is knitwith movement of the needles from left to right in Figure 6, or clockwise in Figure 5. As the needles start in the opposite direction; i.e., from right to left in Figure 6, the needle lowering switch cam 67 and the conventional needle clearing cam 72 are moved into operative position and the right-hand stitch cam 56 is again withdrawn. The selector fingers 40 are also rendered operato condition the same for subsequent knitting of the toe pocket 15.

The cradle sale The machine is also shifted into rotary motion for knitting the cradle sole 13 and instep 14. As the needles move from right to left in Figure 6, those needles which are not selected by selector jacks SJ are raised sufficiently high by the stationary cam 42 to take the nylon body yarn b from the yarn feed finger C. It should be noted, however, that cam 42 does not raise the needles N to clearing level, but this was effected at cam 72. In the meantime, the yarn feed finger F moves into operative position, to feed a cotton yarn s to selected needles. Also, the yarn feed finger E, which fed the reinforcing yarn to the needles during the knitting of the heel pocket 12, is raised to inoperative position.

It should be noted that the yarn feed finger F, for cotton yarn s, does not move into fully lowered position but remains sufiiciently high (approximately above the feed end of yarn feed finger C so that those needles which are raised by the stationary cam 42 to take yarn b from the yarn feed finger C may do so without taking the yarn s from the feed finger F. Thus, any needles which are selected by selection of respective selector jacks S] are raised by these jacks to where they will take the yarn s from the yarn feed finger F and will subsequently take the yarn b from the body yarn feed finger C so that stitches are formed from both the yarns in the lower portion of the sole to form the cradle sole. It is apparent that the selector jacks S] are selected by movement of the selector fingers 46 to form the stepped formation shown in Figures 2 and 3, the particular stepped formation or the width of the cradle sole being a matter of choice.

It is apparent that the needle clearing cam 72 in the left-hand portion of Figure 6 will raise all needles sufficiently to cause the stitches to pass below the latches thereof and the lowering cam 67 lowers all needles to where they would, if not selected, take yarn b from finger C, and thereby positioning them for selection. Of course, I

Now, heretofore it has been impossible to operate a circular knitting machine of the general character described in such a manner that the machine could immediately go into the reciprocatory knitting of the upper half 17 of the toe pocket 15 following the completion of the cradle sole 13 without forming complete ring courses of either the same yarn used in the upper half of the toe or foot of the stocking or the body yarn combined with reinforcing yarn. Many of the reasons why this has been impossible heretofore have been described and a more detailed description of the problems encountered heretofore and reasons why it has been impossible to knit this particular type of fabric will now be given as the method of the present invention is explained.

It is necessary that the right-hand stitch cam 56 remains out of operating position at least during the knitting of reinforcement in parts of the stocking in order to permit selection of needles, since otherwise, stitch cam 56 would cause all needles to take and knit both the body yarn b and the reinforcing yarn s. The fact that stitch cam 56 is inactive does not present a particular problem, insofar as raising needles to take yarn therein is concerned, because all the needles are raised sufliciently high by the stationary cam 42 to insure that they will take the nylon body yarn b in the hooks thereof. However, it is necessary to clear the latches of all needles above the stitches thereon after they pass through the stitch cams, so cam 72 must remain active. Since clearing cam 72 remains active, the long and short butt needles must be divided since, if all needles were elevated by clearing cam 72, they would be too high for independent selection and the cotton yarn s and nylon body yarn b would both be taken and knit by all the needles N. Thus, it is also necessary that the right-hand lowering switch cam 67 re mains active during the knitting of partially reinforced courses of a stocking so that all needles are lowered for selection by selector fingers 40 and respective selector jacks SI.

With both the clearing cam 72 and the needle lowering switch cam 67 operative, this permits needle selection and is, in fact, the condition existing during formation of the cradle sole 13. This condition cannot exist by itself during knitting of the ring toe courses because the needle raising switch cam 68 must move into fully operative position during knitting of said ring courses so as to raise the short butt needles (.240 and .300 needles) out of action without raising the long butt needles (.338 and .390 needles) out of action, to thereby enable reciprocatory knitting to start with the long butt needles in action. This further points up the fact that the long and short butt needles must be divided while the ring toe courses are knit. To rectify this condition, the gusset draw-down cam 70 is moved into operative position wherein it is so spaced from the needle cylinder 33 as to engage and lower the butts of all long butt needles (.338 and .390 needles) only below the level of the conventional needle clearing cam 72. This occurs with the same movement of the main drum 35 which moves the new clearing cam 73 into operative position, as will be presently explained.

Now, by referring to Figure 6, it is apparent that all the long butt needles, after having passed through the stitch cams, will engage and be lowered by the gusset draw-down cam 70, while the short butt needles continue to move in a horizontal path until they engage and are raised to clearing position by the needle cam 72. It is apparent that, if the long butt needles were not lowered by the gusset draw-down cam 70, they too would engage the needle clearing cam 72 and be elevated to the same level as the short butt needles. This might be satisfactory, in view of the fact that the lowering switch cam 67 will return all the needles to lowered position. However, the needles must be divided in the manner heretofore described at some time prior to going into reciprocatory knitting and this is done by the needle raising switch cam 68.

As heretofore explained, if it were not for the dividing of the needles by the gusset draw-down cam 70 and the needle clearing cam 72, the needle raising switch cam 68 would engage all the needles and raise them to stitch holding position so they would all pass above the top center cam 53 and would not knit. Thus, those long butt needles which arelowered by the gusset draw-down cam 70 will pass beneath the needle clearing cam 72 and will also pass beneath the lower end of the needle raising cam 68 when that cam is finally inserted for the knitting of the top of the toe.

Since it was impossible to clear the long butt needles at the needle clearing cam 72, other means had to be provided whereby the latches on the long butt needles would pass above the stitches thereon and the hooks thereof would still not be raised sufiiciently to take both the nylon and cotton yarn from the respective yarn feed fingers C and F.

It might be mentioned here that the selector fingers 40 are operative upon the selector jacks SJ which are then beneath the short butt needles (.240 and .300 needles). Thus, as the selector jacks corresponding to the short butt needles ride up the jack advancing cam 41, all the short butt needles are raised to where they will take the nylon body yarn b and the cotton yarn s in the hooks thereof. On the other hand, the new cam 73, which is moved into operative position at substantially the same time that the gusset drawn-down cam moves into operative position, will raise the long butt needles to where their stitches, formed of the nylon body yarn b, will barely clear'the lower ends of the latches and, since the sole cotton yarn feed finger F is then spaced substantially above the body yarn feed finger C, the long butt needles will take the body yarn b from the yarn feed finger C only. This condition is maintained substantially throughout the knitting of the ring toe courses.

With completion of the knitting of the ring toe courses, or during the knitting of the final ring toe course, another move is imparted to the main drum 35 to move all the then active yarn feed fingers to inoperative position as the yarn feed finger D is moved into operative position.

In this instance, feed finger D guides an auxiliary nylonbody yarn or toe top yarn t to needles. The yarn feed finger D moves into operative position immediately be-' fore the other fingers are withdrawn so that the body yarn b is fed at the same time as the toe top yarn t for splicing the latter two yarns together, as is usual.

Of course, if so desired, the body yarn feed finger C could remain in operative position so as to provide a nude toe, that is, so that the upper half 17 of the toe 15 would be knit solely from the body yarn. However, the additional strength of a 40-denier nylon yarn, such as may be fed by the yarn feed finger D, is desirable in the top of the toe of the stocking.

Also, with the latter move of the main drum 35, the needle lowering switch cam 67, the new clearing cam 73, the gusset draw-down cam 70 and the main needle clearing cam 72 are withdrawn to inoperative position while the right-hand stitch cam 56 is moved into fully operative position, to remain in this position, and the needle raising switch cam 68 is moved into operative position momentarily and then withdrawn. This move of the main pattern drum 35 also shifts the machine into reciprocatory knitting.

The toe Now, as the needle raising switch cam 68 moves into operative position, it should be remembered that the needles were previously divided so the butts of the long butt needles pass beneath the needle raising switch cam while, on the other hand, the short butt needles engage and are raised to inoperative position by the needle raising switch cam 68 before this cam is again withdrawn.

It is thus seen that this raises all the short butt needles out of action so the narrowing may then commence in the knitting of the upper portion 17 of the toe pocket 15. The narrowing in the toe is carried out in the same manner in which it was carried out at the heel pocket 12.

In this instance, although not limited thereto, the toe of the stocking shown in Figure 1 is a so-called gusset toe; that is, it is provided with two gore lines 101 and 102. It is apparent that a toe pocket with a single gore line may be made, if desired. In this particular instance,

in order to form the two gore lines 101 and 102, upon narrowing down to a predetermined number of needles, the gusset draw-down cam 70 moves into partially operative position sufficiently to engage the butts of only the .390 needles at the two sides of the cylinder as shown in Figure 5. The small segments of .338 needles at opposite sides of Figure 5 will have previously been elevated by the narrowing picks 60 and 61.

Thus, it will be noted that the .390 needles in Figure 5 will form stitches from the juncture of the two gore lines 101 and 102 on around to the opposite side of the stocking as shown in Figure l. The narrowing then continues, since the narrowing picks 60 and 61 function in the same manner when narrowing to form the second gusset or gore line 102. The narrowing continues in forming the second gore line 102 at each side of the stocking until approximately half of each of the groups of .390 needles have been raised out of action. The exact number of the .390 needles which are raised to inoperative position is entirely a matter of choice. The gusset raising cam 71 and the needle raising switch cam 68 then move into partially operative position suflicient only to engage the .390 butt needles at each side of the needle circle in Figure 5, to where they will then pass above the top center cam 53.

Also, at the same time that the gusset raising cam 71 "and the needle raising switch cam 68 are moved into "finger D (from which the 40-denier or relatively heavy nylon yarn was fed) position.

Of course, the widening pick 66 is then rendered operative and widening then commences in the forming of the bottom portion 16 of the toe pocket 15. After all the long butt needles, in the upper half of the needle circle in Figure 5, have been lowered in the knitting of the bottom half 16 of the toe pocket 15, the lowering switch cam 67 moves into fully operative position to lower the remaining elevated needles including the .240 and .300 needles in Figure 5. The machine then goes into rotary knitting and the loopers rounds are circularly knit in the usual manner to complete the knitting of the stocking.

As heretofore stated, and as is well known, the toe of the stocking is then looped in the usual manner to form the gore line or looped suture 20 in the lower portion of the stocking, to thereby complete the knitting of the stocking. It should be noted that the suture 20 of the completed stocking bisects the cradle sole 13 and cradle too 16 so the reinforcement is both rearwardly and forwardly of the suture. The enlarged view of Figure 2 is withdrawn to inoperative merely exemplifies an arrangement of courses knit in the foot, heel and toe according to the above description.

The cotton reinforcing yarn represents any yarn which may be more absorbent or have a softer hand and feel than the body yarn or the yarn of which the upper toe portion 17 is knit. While the novel foot and toe construction is herein embodied in ladies sheer seamless hosiery, it is contemplated that mens socks or hobby socks may also be knit according to the present invention to provide the same with a cushion sole and cushion bottom toe portion and having the looper line beneath the toe. The co-e'xtensive cradle sole and cradle toe may also be provided on hosiery in which the entire heel pocket or the upper portion thereof is not reinforced; i.e., knit solely from body yarn or a yarn similar to the main body yarn. a i

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. In a circular knit seamless stocking having a leg, a foot and heel and toe pockets knit of a body yarn and a suture extending beneath the stocking and connecting the lower portion of said foot with the lower portion of said toe pocket, the combination therewith of a reinforcing yarn knit in plated relationship with the body yarn continuously throughout the lower portion of said toe pocket and said foot to form a coextensive cradle sole and cradle toe extending throughout the lower portions of said foot and said toe pocket, and said reinforcing yarn being knit with the body yarn in the lower portions only of said toe pocket and said foot.

2. A seamless stocking according to claim 1, wherein an auxiliary yarn, of diflierent material than said reinforcing yarn and being heavier than said body yarn, is knit in the top portion only of said toe pocket.

3. In a circular knit seamless stocking having a leg, a foot and heel and toe pockets knit of a nylon yarn and a suture extending beneath the stocking and connecting the lower portion of said foot with said toe pocket, the combination therewith of a reinforcing yarn knit in plated relationship with the nylon yarn continuously throughout the lower portion of said heel and toe pockets and said foot to, form a coextensive cradle sole and cradle toe extending throughout the lower portions of said foot and said toe pocket, said reinforcing yarn having a softer feel than the nylon, and said reinforcing yarn being knit with the body yarn in the lower portions only of said heel and toe pockets and said foot.

4. A seamless stocking according to claim 3, wherein an auxiliary yarn is knit in the top portion only of said toe pocket, said auxiliary yarn being a nylon yarn of heavier denier than said first-named nylon yarn.

5. A seamless stocking according to claim 3, in which said reinforcing yarn is formed of cotton.

6. A seamless stocking according to claim 5, having an auxiliary yarn knit in the top portion only of said toe pocket, said auxiliary yarn being of different material than said rein-forcing yarn and being heavier than said body yarn.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,731,330 Allen Oct. 15, 1929 2,108,540 Lochhead Feb. 15, 1938 2,144,563 Davis Jan. 17, 1939 2,197,706 Peloquin Apr. 16, 1940 2,200,207 Page et al. May 7, 1940 2,640,339 Dowell June 2, 1953 2,664,726 Lihn Jan. 5, 1954 2,712,227 Haensel July 5, 1955 

